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A door opened then slammed somewhere in the house as I stumbled through my explanation that it was my fault, and if I hadn’t there, none of it would have happened.
“Stop.”
Max’s voice had me whipping around. I had to see for myself how bad it was. He had a strip of cloth tied under his arm and over his shoulder to staunch the blood flow, but it didn’t help that much. It’d soaked through and then some. Another door slammed, and someone called from the distance that they were here.
“I’m so sorry,” I choked out. Luc’s hand settled on my hip, and he pulled me back against him.
“Summer,” Max said with a grunt as another man—who I thought was Sofia’s brother, Trey, the doctor—barreled into the room, dropped his bag, then got to work, cutting away the clothing and cleaning the wound. “We’re in the Mafia. This isn’t unusual.”
“He’s right,” Lil said. “Max will be fine. Don’t waste one second on guilt. Mafia isn’t the easiest way of life, but we learn to value each day together because we never know when it’ll be our last. It’s the way we live. Don’t think that you brought any more danger than what we’re already used to.”
I blinked the rest of the tears away then scrubbed them from my face. I had to get a grip. If Max’s wife could accept what had happened, then maybe they were right, in a way. My problems had followed me. I tilted my head back and met Luc’s eyes. I was so conflicted. I wasn’t sure what to think.
“But,” Luc said, his deep voice reverberating through the room, “we’ll need to deal with them sooner rather than later.”
“Agreed,” Max said. “The attack won’t go unpunished.”
They seemed to communicate in that guy language I always failed to understand before Luc’s grip tightened on my hip, and he swung me around and in the opposite direction. “We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He swept me from the room, and I went because there was no more avoiding things. Even though I was resigned to our conversation, another rush of panic settled over me at what was to come. I couldn’t keep my secret to myself any longer. He deserved to know.
We went up the stairs and down another hall until we came to the door to his room. He opened it, and we walked inside. The click of it shutting behind us was loud in the silence. Before I said anything, I went to a box of Kleenex and grabbed a few, getting to work on cleaning up my face. He gave me a minute to gather myself. Finally ready, I went over to the chairs by the fireplace and sat, waiting for him to do the same.
He settled his big frame into the chair, leaning forward, knees to elbows. I had his attention, and it was apparent he would wait for me to tell him what had me acting so strangely.
I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I let myself ramble through my thoughts. I would eventually get to what he had to hear. “You know about my mother and how I grew up. And that the way we met was totally out of character for me. I’d just learned Lauralee was dead from a news report, and I didn’t deal with that well.”
He nodded but said nothing. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. I was so scared about how he would react that I wanted to reiterate it once more to make it clear that I wasn’t trying to trap him. I took a deep breath then launched into the point I had to make. “I haven’t been feeling great. The wives noticed.” I tugged on the ends of a few strands of my long hair, twirling it around my fingers then releasing it, only to do it all over again. I needed something to do with my hands. “I don’t remember if we used protection every time that night. I thought so, but I know things can happen no matter how much you try to prevent them. I’m one of those mistakes from what my mom said. Anyway, Lil bought me a pregnancy test, and I took it yesterday.” I met his gaze. “I’m pregnant.”
* * *
Luc
Ifroze, Summer’s words running in a loop through my mind.Pregnant?I’d used protection each time we were together that night. But she was right. It wasn’t foolproof. Then what she’d said registered even more, and I fought for control. “You think the baby is a mistake?”
“What?” Her head snapped up, and her expressive eyes widened. “No. I meant I was. That’s what my mom told me. She’d gotten pregnant while on the pill. Not this baby.” Her voice softened as her hand rested on her flat stomach. “It’s… a surprise.”
All the tension fled my body as I came to a swift decision. I had feelings for Summer, and they were developing into more as we spent time together. And after the first shot had been fired earlier, I knew how much she mattered to me. I loved her, and the thought of losing her—andour baby—was too much for me to contemplate.
“But you don’t need to worry. I’m not pressuring you. I’ve decided to keep the baby, and I’ll raise him or her somewhere safe, where the Amatos will never find us.”
“No.” I had to be a part of my child’s life. And Summer… I wouldn’t let her go. I took her hand in mine. “Marry me.”
Her mouth opened, and I pressed a finger to her lips to stop the protest I was sure she would utter.
“Hear me out, please. I care about you. The thought of anything happening to you tears me apart, and tonight… it drove home just how much. If you’re my wife, you’ll have the protection you and our child will need against the Amatos.” It was partially true. As my wife, she would be in the Brambilla family and virtually untouchable to Ben Amato, but I could eliminate him, and then she would be free.
But the baby… there was no way I would be okay if I weren’t in my child’s life.
I cleared my throat. “You and I didn’t have the best upbringing. It taught us what not to do and everything that we should. Let’s raise our child together and give him or her what we never had.” I removed my finger from her soft lips. My body tensed as I waited for her to answer. I had to tip the scale even more. I couldn’t lose her. “You won’t want for anything. Neither will our child. I make a good living through my financial business, but as a boss, I have access to a vast fortune.”
A blush stained her cheeks a pretty pink, and she pushed out a breath. “It’s not about the money. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it helps. Being poor isn’t something I want for the baby. But what if something happens?” Her eyes misted again, and she blinked furiously. “These emotions suck, just sayin’.” She took a few seconds to regain control. “What if I miscarry? Maybe we should wait? I just—”
“It’s not only about the baby. I want you, Summer. I would’ve asked even if you weren’t pregnant. And I got the message loud and clear that you acted out of character our first night together. We can wait until we’re married. It’ll be difficult, but I want you to know I respect you.”
Her shoulders dropped, and I saw the tension drain from her body as a radiant smile transformed her face from beautiful to stunning. “Then yes. My answer is yes.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
